When he returned home from World War II, Hollywood icon James Stewart was featured on the cover of Life magazine in front of the Indiana County courthouse. "In New York, Stewart refused a hero's welcome," the text read. "Instead, he drove to Indiana, Pa., 50 miles from Pittsburgh. There, in his parents' comfortable red-brick home overlooking the town, he slept late, played the piano and joked with his family about the old days."

Just plain folks. That was the Jimmy Stewart legend. It also appears to have been much of the reality

Jimmy Stewart was one of the last great Americans out of Hollywood. A man that obviously loved America and wasn’t ashamed to show it. Now all you get are Marxist asswipes like Richard Gere, Ben Affleck and Sean Penn. Everytime I see a movie, it has at least one star that’s come out against America in some way, shape or form.

The Green Horizon 1983
Right of Way 1983
The Big Sleep 1978
The Magic of Lassie 1978
Airport ‘77 1977
The Shootist 1976
The Cheyenne Social Club 1970
Bandolero 1968
Firecreek 1968
The Rare Breed 1966
Dear Brigitte 1965
The Flight of the Phoenix 1965
Shenandoah 1965
Cheyenne Autumn 1964
How the West Was Won 1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation 1962
Two Rode Together 1961
Anatomy of a Murder 1959
The FBI Story 1959
Bell, Book, and Candle 1958
Vertigo 1958
Night Passage 1957
The Spirit of St. Louis 1957
The Man Who Knew Too Much 1956
The Far Country 1955
The Man From Laramie 1955
Strategic Air Command 1955
Rear Window 1954
The Glenn Miller Story 1953
Thunder Bay 1953
Bend of the River 1952
The Greatest Show on Earth 1952
The Nakes Spur 1952
No Highway in the Sky 1951
Broken Arrow 1950
Harvey 1950
Winchester ‘73 1950
Malaya 1949
The Stratton Story 1949
Call Northside 777 1948
On Our Merry Way 1948
Rope 1948
You Gotta Stay Happy 1948
Magic Town 1947
It’s a Wonderful Life 1946
Pot O’ Gold 1941
Ziegfeld Girl 1941
The Mortal Storm 1940
The Philadelphia Story 1940
The Shop Around the Corner 1940
Destry Rides Again 1939
Made for Each Other 1939
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939
Of Human Hearts 1938
The Shopworn Angel 1938
Vivacious Lady 1938
You Can’t Take It With You 1938
Navy Blue and Gold 1937
After the Thin Man 1936
Born to Dance 1936
The Gorgeous Hussy 1936
Rose-Marie 1936
Wife vs. Secretary 1936

That’s because Jimmy Stewart (unlike the three mediocre people you mentioned) didn’t have to make themselves known through outrageous and assinine comments. He was the star. Everyone knew it. He behaved like a dignified gentleman while being a star. Those days of well mannered behaviors and dignity in hollywood are long gone.

Turner Classic Movies schedule for Tuesday....gonna have to hook up the old VCR for this! Darn dvd recorder died.

6:00am [Drama] Stratton Story, The (1949) True story of Monty Stratton, the baseball star who fought to continue his career after losing a leg. Cast: James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan. Dir: Sam Wood. BW-107 mins, TV-G

10:00pm [Western] Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) An experienced gunman and a peace-loving tenderfoot clash with a Western bully. Cast: John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin. Dir: John Ford. BW-123 mins, TV-14 [Letterbox]

12:15am [Drama] Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man avenges an attack on his wife. Cast: James Stewart, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick. Dir: Otto Preminger. BW-161 mins, TV-PG [Letterbox]

He went on the mission in 1966, before his stepson was killed in 1969.

From Wikipedia:

In 1966, Brigadier General James Stewart flew as a non duty observer in a B-52 on a bombing mission during the Vietnam conflict. At the time of his B-52 flight, he refused the release of any publicity regarding his participation as he did not want it treated as a stunt, but as part of his job as an officer in the Air Force Reserve. After 27 years of service, Stewart retired from the Air Force on 31 May 1968.[34]

Ronald McLean was killed in action on 8 June 1969, at the age of 24, while serving as a Marine Corps Lieutenant in Vietnam.[47][48]

Got to “meet” him (shake his hand at a theatre) in Ft. Worth. He joked about the hair dye on his hands. A college friend lived down the street from where his Air Froce friend lives and where Stewart came to visit. Was at a party at the house. and said that he was very unpretentious although edgier than she appeared on screen. He was, after all, then a 50 year old man who had been around the barn a few times.

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